Posted by Daniel Ramirez on October 13, 2007

Q: I found a little black spider. It sorta looks like a tiny tarantula. It has three orange dots on it's back and it has a green mouth. I've never seen a spider like this before. Most of the ones I've seen were house spiders. I just wanted to know what kind of spider this is......thanks.

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: California

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: Oh my, there are so many different kinds of spiders, that I really can't tell you what kind you have without much more detail or at least a photo. But, from what you did share, it sounds like it MAY be one of the jumping spiders. Try googling this family of jumping spiders (Salticidae) and see if one of these looks similar. You may not get the exact species but you can probably come close. Jumping spiders are especially interesting little guys and they almost have a "personality". You can also check out our unit on jumping spiders and learn a bit more about their habits at www.enaturalist.org Thanks for asking and I hope this leads to an answer for you.

John Wiessinger ( October 14, 2007)